State Authorization for the Provision of Online Education
SUNY Empire State College has been approved to participate in the National Council for State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements.
Federal regulations require that colleges and universities that participate in Title IV funding and offer degree programming through distance or online education to students in other states, must seek approval from those states to offer such programs.
SUNY Empire State College is working to comply with each state’s regulations and to maintain the necessary authorizations to continue providing our online degree programs. As a member of the National Council for State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements (NC-SARA), SUNY Empire is authorized to offer its online degree programs to residents of all other NC-SARA participating states.
Please refer to the list below to check on the status of SUNY Empire’s authorization in your state of residence. All states are considered “registration approved” unless listed otherwise. If your state is not currently approved, we cannot accept your application for admission to an online degree program at this time.
SUNY Empire State College, as a provider of distance or online education, is required by the United States Department of Education to provide all prospective and current out-of-state students with contact information for the appropriate agency in their home state that handles complaints against institutions offering distance learning within that state.
SUNY Empire State College is registered with the Minnesota Office of Higher Education pursuant to Minnesota Statutes sections 136A.61 to 136A.71. Registration is not an endorsement of the institution. Credits earned at the institution may not transfer to all other institutions.
All students who enroll in a B.A. or B.S. degree program will need to satisfy the “Minnesota Degree Standards”, as well as SUNY General Education and Empire State College degree requirements.
Minnesota Degree Standards
B.A. degrees should include 40 semester credits of liberal arts and sciences, with minimum credits distributed as follows: Communication (5 crs), Natural Sciences/Mathematics (8 crs), Humanities (8 crs), and Social Sciences (8 crs).
B.S. degrees should include 30 semester credits of liberal arts and sciences, with a minimum of 4 credits completed in each of the following areas: Communication, Natural Sciences/Mathematics, Humanities, and Social Sciences.
